UTILITIES
Veolia Executive Captivated by Complexity of Water
By Diane C . Walsh Editor , COMMERCE
When Karine Rougé ’ s 9-year-old son was asked what he was grateful for last Thanksgiving , he told everyone at the dinner table it was “ water .”
It warmed his mother ’ s heart , most especially because Rougé is the CEO of municipal water for Veolia North America – a global leader in managing water , wastewater and energy with a mission to help customers meet their environmental and sustainability challenges .
Water has been the focal point of Rougé ’ s career . “ It never stopped disappointing me because water is intellectually very interesting and it ’ s very complex because of its very local nature ” she said . Her work has centered on investment , technology , and infrastructure management and construction .
Surprisingly , her career began as an investment banker for Goldman Sachs , working in its London , Paris and Johannesburg offices . At age 27 , she moved on , however , seeking a more fulfilling position . “ I just wanted to say I was contributing to something .”
For 11 years she worked for Suez , the Frenchbased utilities company . She has extensive experience in the water industry both in North America and Europe , where she led various strategic transformations in the digital , municipal and industrial water sectors to build cutting-edge teams , solutions and services aimed at solving global water treatment challenges .
Rougé joined Suez in 2010 as Chief of Staff , working for the Group Senior Vice President of Finance in Paris where she managed several organizational and acquisitions projects . In 2013 , Rougé moved into the role of Senior Vice President in charge of sales for the Smart Building division , achieving double digit growth in the smart monitoring of water and energy consumption in commercial and residential buildings .
Seven years ago , Rougé joined Suez in North America as President for Treatment Solutions which was integrated into Suez Water Technologies and Solutions (“ Suez WTS ”) after the acquisition of GE Water by Suez in 2017 . She was then CEO of the Global Services business , where she led a profound strategic and cultural transformation , achieving double digit growth globally as well as a significant expansion of offerings and market positioning . In 2020 , she was also appointed Chief Transformation Officer of Suez WTS .
Rougé became CEO of Municipal Water at Veolia a year ago , after it merged with Suez . For
Karin Rougé was named CEO of Municipal Water a year ago .
many in Northern New Jersey , Veolia is a new name . But Rougé quickly noted it has operated treatment facilities in South and Central Jersey for more than 30 years . Veolia ’ s leadership , paired with the 150 years of experience that Suez inherited as successor to the Hackensack Water Company , will be a “ game changer ” for the industry , Rougé said .
As the world ’ s leading private player in the water industry , Rougé believes Veolia bears a huge responsibility to apply its resources and use the innovation it ’ s developed to tackle environmental challenges .
Veolia is investing $ 400 million in water and wastewater across the country this year . In New Jersey there is a $ 159 million commitment and Rougé said it will continue to grow . The company employs 1,000 people in the water division in the state , and another 200 in other waste services , with increasing numbers assigned to energy issues too . Veolia is a member of the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey . Kevin O ' Connor , a vice president of external affairs at Veolia , is a member of the CIANJ board of directors .
Even though the Garden State is highly developed , Rougé underscored that its water infrastructure can be old and fragile . Many of its systems date back more than a century , like the pipes in Hoboken city-owned system which are prone to breaks . Consequently , there is an enormous need for investment . “ We doubled our annual investment across the United States in the past five years and that trend will continue to grow ,” Rougé said . The company provides water and wastewater services to more than 1.6 million customers in New Jersey . Veolia owns and operates systems – including four reservoirs and 2,500 miles of mains – that serve residents and businesses in 83 municipalities . In addition , it has contracts to manage and operate city-owned systems , such as Jersey City and Hoboken .
“ The role of the global company is to funnel all its technological innovation to the hyperlocal needs of the communities we serve ,” the CEO said . In its service area , Veolia has found towns can have dramatically different issues even though they are a few miles apart . “ Our job is to understand the technologies we can put in , that were tested in other parts of the world , and deploy them where it is most needed .
“ That ’ s where you can understand the global-hyperlocal connection and it ’ s absolutely essential ,” Rougé said .
Veolia tapped its sophisticated technology to identify the source of leaks along the Palisades . The company prides itself on losing only 19 percent of its volume – compared to up to 40 percent in systems owned and managed by other concerns . In achieving its standards , acoustics sensors are used to detect where leaks are occurring . That data coupled with satellite images enables Veolia to pinpoint the problem and make repairs .
Continued On Page 10
Photo : Veolia North America
8 COMMERCE www . commercemagnj . com